"It was not his death that mattered; it was the way the world had been dislocated. It was not all the tens of thousands of deaths that mattered; it w"It was not his death that mattered; it was the way the world had been dislocated. It was not all the tens of thousands of deaths that mattered; it was the way they had proved that you could be human yet act in a way that was beyond nature."

This ‘review’ might sound like a huge cliché, and for that I apologise. What I don’t apologise for is the sentiments behind it because I mean every word.I approached this book, the third time I have read it, with extreme caution. I felt like I was meeting up with friends that I hadn’t seen for a while. Situations had changed, circumstances had changed and, perhaps most importantly, my reading tastes had changed. Like many people who chose to take English Literature as an A-Level, I was told that I should read this for my War Literature Module. I’ve had bad experience with course books, experiences that started in high school and stretched right up until I graduated university. So I was sceptical to say the least. But Birdsong was different. I truly connected with this book, the story, the writing but, most of all, the characters. So when I decided to re-read it, I was nervous. Would Stephen be as damaged but heroic as I remembered him? Will Weir still make me ache with sadness? Would Jack still make me cry with laughter… and then overwhelm me with emotion? Will Jeanne still garner my utmost respect? Would Isabelle still make me feel conflicted until the very last page?

The answer to all these questions is ‘yes’. There are four parts in this book that I will always remember. And I know people who are reading this will be like… woah spoilers, but that’s the thing. If you know anything about the war, whether it’s due to an interest in history, you’ve read books, you’ve listened to your grandparent’s talking about it… you know that this actually happened.I wish there was a spoiler tag for history but, unfortunately, there isn’t. (But if you want to know nothing about this book… please skip this next part.)

The first is the part where Stephen is reading the letters in the trenches. This bit is so raw with emotion that my heart physically ached. The letter that I seem to have remembered most vividly is Tipper’s, a relatively minor character. At first you might think that him writing things such as “It’s a terrific show” and “Our guns are putting on a display like Firework Night. We are going to attack and we can’t wait to let Fritz have it” is down to youthful enthusiasm and ignorance. He’s new to the war and he’s never been over the top before, so he doesn’t know what to expect. But really these frivolous words are because he’s afraid but doesn’t want his parents, who are seeing the war through the newspapers alone, to know the truth.The second scene is Weir’s visit back home. His father’s conversation with him, dismissing his son’s cry for help because he knows, was unfortunately something that happened often. And not just on the British side, in All Quiet on the Western Front there is a particularly poignant scene where Paul visits home and realises that everything has stayed the same, but completely incomprehensible to someone who has seen what he has seen. The third part is where the soldiers are require to venture back into No Man’s Land and collect the bodies of their dead. This scene, which is difficult to stomach seeing as Faulk’s can perfectly describe the state of a body who has been left to the elements for two weeks, was unbearably haunting. My heart bled, and continues to bleed, for Brennan. And the fourth was the one of the last scenes with Stephen in the mines. With the aid of Faulks’ writing, I could feel the hammering of Stephen’s heart, his desperation, his hope fading, his desire to live and the grime beneath my finger nails. What I love the most about this book and perhaps why I’ve read it so many times and will continue to read it again and again is how Mr Faulks portrays the human spirit when humanity has been completely deserted. Birdsong is a shocking book and there are many passages that made me feel sick to my stomach, angry and so sad that I had to actually stop reading and do something else for a while. It is difficult to read this book and not get immersed in it.Yes, you might get bored with the love story (and don’t forget that shocking and explicit part where people have sex! Shock, horror) and yes you might get a bit bored with Elizabeth’s story line (I actually love that bit… I find it extremely honest and realistic), but there is no denying that the parts in the trenches with Stephen, Weir, Firebrace and the rest of the men are nothing short of astounding.

”He wanted it louder and louder; he wanted them to drown out the war with their laughter. If they could shout loud enough, they might bring the world back to its senses; they might laugh loud enough to raise the dead.”

This review is part of my Poppies & Prose feature. You can read more about it here....more

"Let the months come, and the years, they'll take nothing more from me, they can take nothing more from me...But as long as life is there it will make"Let the months come, and the years, they'll take nothing more from me, they can take nothing more from me...But as long as life is there it will make its own way, whether my conscious self likes it or not."

This review is part of my Poppies & Prose feature. You can find out more here.So when I first decided to dedicate my reading this November to books either set in or written during the two World Wars, I decided re-visit some books that I had already read. But it was only when I picked up the copy All Quiet on the Western Front and started to read it did I realised that I’d never read it. Like a lot of teenagers in the UK who chose to study English Literature at A-Level, I received a list of books that weren’t mandatory reading but were seriously On this list were the usuals: Birdsong, The Regeneration Trilogy, Goodbye To All That etc etc and All Quiet on the Western Front. I remember talking about it in our classes and I remember answering questions on it and I remember watching the film. So I just assumed that I must have read it. So this was new for me, even though I knew the story and knew what happened at the end. But I’m so glad that I didn’t just disregard it and think ‘Oh, already read that, no need to bother’ and moved on because I would have missed a compelling, fascinating and necessary piece of literature. It’s been a few days since I finished this book and I’ve been putting off writing this review because I don’t think any review could do this book justice. I’m a collector of quotes, whether it’s ones that make me laugh or ones that make my heart ache, and I normally jot them down in my notebook. With this book, however, I appear to have simply re-written the book. This book stopped me in my tracks. The prose is haunting as Paul, our narrator, describes the inexpressible events that are occurring around him. From the connections he makes will his comrades, the French girls in the village, the British soldiers he encounters and his family, when he returns home for a visit, this book digs deep into human emotion and refuses to look away at any point. Recruited straight for school Paul and his comrades were dropped onto the front line with little to no training and no idea what to expect. I think the passages where Paul laments how it will forever be his time in the war that defines him for rest of his life was what affected me the most. “For years our occupation has been killing- that was the first experience we had. Our knowledge of life is limited to death. What will happen afterwards? And what can possible become of us?”And I wouldn’t say that this was truly a theme tune, because I’m not going to pick songs for any of the books that I have read in these two weeks as it would be impossible to find the right fit and I just don’t think it would be appropriate, but… one of the most memorable parts in this book was when Paul visits home. The way that he describes how he feels that he is a stranger in his own home, waiting to find something that he remembers about how he felt when he was living there or who he was when he was living there, really stuck with me.But the part where he is talking to his mother about his time in the trenches and he lies and reassures her that it wasn’t really all that bad over there reminded me of the end song of Oh! What a Lovely War. This has been a favourite of mine ever since I watched it in GCSE history and I will always, always remember the last scene and the goosebumps it never fails to bring up on my arms.

“You won’t understand and never will. And I don’t want you to.”

What I loved most about this book, however, was that if you removed the front cover and changed the character’s names, you could quite easily believe that this was an account of a British or French soldier or any of the other nationalities who fought on the Western Front. All of the men who fought in the trenches on the western front were in the same position, welded together with the same feeling that there was no definite explanation as to why they were there. They were all just ordinary men placed into extraordinary circumstances and told to do unthinkable things and expected to survive.

“It’s as if we were once coins from various countries; we’ve been melted down, and how we have all been re-struck so that we are all the same.”...more

"Stick a shovel into the ground almsot anywhere and some horrible thing or other will come to light. Good for the trade, we thrive on bones; without"Stick a shovel into the ground almsot anywhere and some horrible thing or other will come to light. Good for the trade, we thrive on bones; without them there'd be no stories."

I was on page 608 exactly when I realised that everything that I had gathered and concluded about this book was completely wrong.All my conclusions had been based on one assumption and I had merrily skipped through this story thinking with smugness that I knew what the twist was going to be and how it was going to end. Well... now I feel like a reet loser. Because Ms Atwood won this round.Completely and utterly.Fair and square.In the most remarkable way possible.

"All stories are about wolves. All worth repeating, that is. Anything else is sentimental drive."

I’m not telling you anything about the plot because this book is definitely, definitely, definitely one that should be gone into…. Um, blind.This book has so much scope and so much depth and one that I will need, and immensely enjoy, to read again and again. Mostly so I can see the little trail of breadcrumbs that Ms Atwood scattered across these pages, little clues that I missed but make perfect sense in hindsight. Ms Atwood’s imagination and ability to construct a book that is so rich in layers, so powerful and so full of emotions is nothing short of astounding.

"The only way you can write the truth is to assume that what you set down will never be read."

I feel like I’ve read this book standing on my tippy-toes; always trying to see a little further onwards but always teetering on the edge.

"Where were we? I've forgotten.""He was deciding whether to cut her throat or love her forever.""Right. Yes. The usual choices."...more

So I have this theory that whenever I read a book where there is a gruff old man who is prickly on the"Takes yer time, everythin' 'as its own time."

So I have this theory that whenever I read a book where there is a gruff old man who is prickly on the outside but a big softie in the middle, I will love it.

This book is one of my all-time favourites and I know I say that about every book, but I definitely mean it this time. I first read it when I was about ten and I was in Year 5, learning about WW2 and the Blitz and evacuees. Seeing as I had read all the books we had to read and I was allowed to go into the library and choose my own book. And this one was the first book I chose.

Ms Magorian’s writing feels so comfortable to me; it’s simple and gentle but never ventures into twee-ness (twee-dom?)… fine, it never becomes twee. The setting is perfectly constructed, the friendships that are developed are honest and true and there is always this rich sense of innocent fun running through the story, which is perfectly balanced with the more harrowing points of the tale. But I’m not talking about them because it just makes me too sad. And let’s not forget Sam who is the most endearing fictional dog since Manchee. As I mentioned, I read this book when I was ten and now twelve years later this book was still beautiful. It has aged extremely well. I still laughed (seriously, Zach and I need to be best friends) and I still got teary at certain parts and I still got a warm feeling in my tummy at that epilogue.Yes.That’s right. An epilogue that made me feel warm and fuzzy.

This is book is truly special to me.

Also, I just want to say something about the film adaptation.Gasp.I know, I know.This is a book site! Only heathens talk about film on this site.But whatever, I don’t care.Normally I hate watching adaptations of my favourite books because they never ever EVER measure up. And I think this is the only exception.I think I’ve seen this film at least ten times (five of those viewings were on successive video days on the afternoon of every end of term, The Railway Children in the morning, of course.).

Sepetys’ ‘Between Shades of Gray’ tells the story of fifteen year old Lina, a girl who is deported from her home in Latvia when the Soviets invades thSepetys’ ‘Between Shades of Gray’ tells the story of fifteen year old Lina, a girl who is deported from her home in Latvia when the Soviets invades their country on the cusp of WW2 and follows their fight for survival against all odds.This book really touched me, I’m trying not to sound clichéd, but it really did. I read it in about two days, it was a quick read…not because of the writing, but because I wanted to find out what happened to Lina and her family and the people she met along the way. It was such a compelling story, I had to know.This is a greatly bleak story set in one of the bleakest eras of modern history. But perhaps the most upsetting part of the story is that I had no idea any of this really happened. Whether it is my own ignorance or the fact that it’s just often overlooked because of what was to follow, I don’t know… but I’m glad that I read about it (and, like Sepetys urges in her author’s note… I did research it.) Sepetys tells a story that is not often read about in the history books. I think the reason why this book affected me the most is because it showed me that just when I thought I had heard all the impossible things that happened in this era- there’s still so much you don’t know.Sepetys has a powerful writing style, doing the seemingly impossible feet of finding the words to portray something so terrible it is difficult to believe it actually could happen (I found that this was similar to Maus). The events in the book are brutally honest and she doesn’t shy away from the truth or sugar-coat it in any way, which would have been easy due to the intended audience of the novel. But the thing is, Sepetys had a story to tell and she did it without having to resort to stereotypes and that is a mark of a true writer.Even though Lina is the main character and our narrator, this book is about so many other people. The people she meets while they are being bundled on the train to Siberia, the guards that keep them prisoner in the work camps, the people whose insignificant actions have altered Lina’s life forever. I love how this novel puts a name to the people whose stories haven’t been told, for whatever reason, in mainstream fiction and gives them a voice.Many of the chapters are split into two sections, Lina’s accounts of what are happening to her in the work camps and memories that she has that lead up to their capture. This technique provides an effective juxtaposition between Lina’s present and her past when everything was completely different. It was really moving and cleverly done. I must admit, I got a lump in my throat when I read the chapter that juxtaposed the trivial boy problems of the past with the intense bond that she creates with Andrius, a boy that she meets in the train carriage and who goes on to be in the same work camp as her. It really put things into perspective, not just for Lina… but for me and my trivial circumstances.Septys has a great eye for detail and it is the little things that she observed about humanity that really struck a chord for me. The man winding his watch, the girl with the dead doll, the Dickens book and Andrius’ little notes to Lina within the pages, her mother applying lipstick even when all hope was gone… it was these simple things that reminded me that this book is a story about people and humanity.Towards the end of the book, when Lina faith is being truly tested, there is a really powerful conversation between her and an angry, cynical bald man, who has an opinion on everything. Throughout the book, Septys depicts him in a comical light… he always has a negative thing to say to everyone and tells it like it is… but this conversation shows him as the vulnerable man he really is, scared of life but scared of killing himself and what lies for him there. Lina feels guilty for surviving, when everything she has ever known is dying around her, but she wants to live. After everything she has been through, she wants to live for everyone and everything that has been lost and so it wasn’t all in vain.The book ends on a positive, optimistic and, ultimately, defiant note. Lina has been through everything and survived and she will carry on surviving. And this is what this book is about…. It’s a story of human survival in an era when humanity was, sadly, lacking.‘Between Shades of Gray’ is an important story and one that should have been told decades earlier. It wholly deserves the phenomenal reviews it has been getting and I believe that this book should be required reading for every high school student. This is a story that needs to be read....more

“A single splutter of flame catches as the match head ignites, lying on the ice. It burns halfway down the wooden stalk of the match, and all Einar ca“A single splutter of flame catches as the match head ignites, lying on the ice. It burns halfway down the wooden stalk of the match, and all Einar can do is watch it burn for a second, and then die.An hour later, and he’s dead too.”

High Points.I absolutely fell in love with Sedgwick’s writing style- it was haunting, shocking, beautiful and always gave me the sense that I was walking on dangerous ground (almost like a frozen lake, coincidence? I think not.) and feeling too safe and then just as I thought everything was fine, the ice begins to creak and there’s a knock on the door and…. Waaah. Location, location, location- I have never read anything quite like this. Stranded miles away from civilisation (and even then, ‘civilisation’, is a population of about 1000), surrounded by precarious snow drifts and no chance of escape. Claustaphobic, stifling, sinister… these words don’t even come close. This book was so (quick think of another word for chilling) unsettling and I loved it. Moral and spiritual dilemmas. Well-researched history. And then we have Wolff… but more on him later… *shudders and locks the door*

Low Points.This is purely a personal quibble but I just don’t like epilogues. They just frustrate me because in 99% of cases, they are stupid, rushed and pointless. I like things left unsaid. There are some exceptions of course, but I can’t think of any at the moment, so if you can please… comment away. Because I get why they can be amazing, but I’ve just not seen it happen often. I’m thinking of the epilogue in ‘Revolver’ in two halves, the first bit I loved and I thought that I’d finally found an epilogue that didn’t make me angry, it answered all the questions that needed to be answered but also left a lot of things just there… subtle, like this whole book. But thennn we had to fast forward 60 years later and… yack. No, I’m sorry. Like I said, it’s probably just me and I’m being overly sensitive and in no way did it ruin it for me… I just… meh.

Hero.This is a funny one because even though fifteen year old Stig is the main focus of plot (at least the 1910 sections), we only saw him when he was in a phenomenally high-pressured situation, so we never really got to find out about him post-Revolver. I don’t mean that to sound as a bad thing because I really liked Stig and thought he was a fantastic character, but I just don’t think I know him. But it didn’t really matter because this book wasn’t about him, as such, as I think it’s more about humanity in general. Humanity placed in an amplified situation where all the lines are blurred. Stig had the perfect mix of strength and vulnerability stemming from growing up in harsh world, both physically and metaphorically.I have to hand it to him, even though I don’t know his favourite colour or if he’s ever been in love, he has nerves of steel. If I was alone in a cabin in the middle of Antarctica wilderness with the nearest living person about a two day huskie trip away… and then I heard a knock on the door? I have four words for you… bat.out.of.hell. With extra flailing.

Baddie.Mayor Prentiss, one of the creepiest villains that I have had the displeasure of meeting in my literary adventures, remember him? OK, yeah he is a pussy cat compared to Gunter Wolff. I’m not saying any more…. For fear saying his name will make him manifest, a la Beetlejuice.

Theme Tune.A Moment of Stillness- God is an Astronaut. I didn’t want a song with lyrics for this book because it would be practically impossible to find lyrics that captured the atmosphere of this book and didn’t sound too forced. So, I chose this song because it’s beautiful, eerie and ambiguous… like this book.

Angst Level.10/10. The whole setting and situation of this book really scared me. I have quite a vivid imagination and I like not being stranded in a snow drift (Mancunian winters are pretty frosty) to be around people. And there is a very prominent theme of helplessness that runs through this book. The way Stig deals with his father’s death feels raw and brutal and it is only enhanced with the addition of everything he has to deal with afterwards. There is also the addition of the argument of the use of guns and explores the moral issues around them. Whichever side of the argument you stand on, the way the revolver of the title is transformed into a character is both fascinating and frightening.

Recommended For.People who like their YA with a psychological thrill. People who think it's fine to open the door to strangers when you're in the middle of nowhere.

You can also read the review for this book and others and a whole lot of other exciting stuff on my blog here....more

“Emer…eventually found she enjoyed ripping an eye from the men she killed. Especially the men who glared at her body. It was a way to remind them to n“Emer…eventually found she enjoyed ripping an eye from the men she killed. Especially the men who glared at her body. It was a way to remind them to never underestimate a woman, she figured. One less eye to ogle with.”

High Points.The cover. Seriously, how gorgeous is that cover? It’s definitely one of my favourites from this year. The idea. Emer’s childhood. Adventures on the high seas. Treasure.

Low Points.The execution. I just feel so very disappointed because I can’t help but think this book should have been so amazing. I think it spent too much time with scenes that didn’t need to be in there (basically when Emer became a captain for no reason and that thread of story line) and less time developing the characters. I found myself not really caring about what happened to them, which is no good. Also, I would have liked to have spent more time with Saffron, I think Ms King missed a trick with not putting in a few scenes about a teenager who had lived for 300 years as a dog… oh and yeah, been a bloodthirsty pirate. They could have been hilarious anecdotes like when she won a fencing tournament the first time she’d played or, I don’t know, accidentally peed on a lamp post or something. I just really wanted more from this book.

Heroine. It’s going to annoy me keep referring to our heroine as Emer/Saffron so I’m going to call her Emerron. OK?I felt about Emerron in the way I felt about this entire book: I want more from you. I knew that she had the potential to be awesome and a complete BAMF but just when she was in the brink of doing something amazing she got her rocks off with a poor sap who was devoted to her even though she knew she didn’t feel the same waybecame a captain of a ship for no explicable reasonpranced around in a bikini on a beachnever really mentions the time when she was.. um, yeah… A DOG FOR 300 YEARS did something silly. She seemed to be missing her spark and it was like her wish to get her treasure (not even revenge! Never is revenge mentioned once in this whole book. Surely that would be a factor if you had lost everything you’d ever loved and then had the ashes of dead dogs thrown at you be a crazy Jamaican?!) eclipsed her personality. I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I kept wishing she would suddenly become Vera Dietz and she continued to disappoint me when in the next chapter she was Emerron talking about her capes.

Baddie.OK, I’m not sure whether it’s just because I secretly hope know that every person with a European accent will be a baddie in films and books (Any excuse.) I kind of guessed straight away the twist in this book.Although I’m not sure that it even was a twist.I don’t know. I feel, in a book about mother-effin’ pirates and pillaging and pilfering and phfighting, tehre needed to be more peril. But alas, there was none. Like it kept being like ‘Oooh oooh, something bad is going to happen now… wait… no. You couldn’t handle it’ and cutting at the last minute. It felt like this all over again. A Keyser Soze cameo would have made this book infinitely better. That would have had Emerron shaking in her booties.

Love Interest.I always root for the underdog (ba-bum-bum) so I didn’t really care for Seanie. Yeah, he was sweet but it was difficult to get on his side because it was so obvious that he and Emer were going to end up together. Because it’s fate, y’all. I think I would have been a lot more inclined to care about him if Ms King had spent more time developing his character without being smitten with Emer from the get go. But yeah, he was too clean cut and obvious.My alliances were well and truly with David. Poor little pup.

Angst Level.5/10. These points are for the first few chapters of Emer’s life… because they were really well written and I felt true sympathy....But that’s pretty much it.

Recommended For.Dog people. People who believe there is still buried treasure out there. People who want to have an adventure… that ends with you getting stuck in an airport. People who don’t mind cliché serendipitous endings that are dipped in sugar and, apparently, rugged hiking boots. People who still fancy Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber. People who fancy Alan Rickman especially as Hans Gruber. People who want a fairy godmother to hand them their keys. People who fashion eye-patches out of cardboard and knicker-elastic and pretend to be pirates and/or David Bowie.

You can find this review and other exciting things at my blog here....more

WARNING: This review may contain excessive (and possibly incorrect) use of the Welsh language. Diolch.

Initial Final Page Thoughts.Woaaah. Also, the sWARNING: This review may contain excessive (and possibly incorrect) use of the Welsh language. Diolch.

Initial Final Page Thoughts.Woaaah. Also, the sequel is going to be bendigedig!

High Points.TERRIFYING. Originality. Kick-ass taids! Creepy but adorable children. Fairy tales… or are they? WW11. Cymru. Culture and heritage. Time-travel. Crumbling old houses. League of Gentlemen-esque locals. Ghosts, spooks and fire-throwers, OH MY. And, my favourite part of this book, the beautiful photos. Looking at them reminded me of the time where my grandma and I spent a rainy day in summer going through old snapshots. Everything looks better in sepia, right?

Low points.I don’t mean to belittle Jacob (the MC) or challenge his intelligence, or any other sixteen year old's intelligence for that matter, but I have never met a sixteen year old boy who would use the word “torpor” in a sentence. Unless of course it was 'Um... what does 'torpor' mean?!' I’m supposed to be educated (pahaha)and there were some moments where I had to balance an Oxford Dictionary on my knee! There were quite big chunks of descriptive paragraphs that, although beautifully written, I found it difficult to believe that Jake would really say things like that. And speaking of outrageous horror that filled my being with cringe…. The love story? WHAT THE HECK. Just no… but more on this later.

Hero.Besides his flowery language and horrifying taste in women, I liked Jacob. He was adventurous (because even though I would’ve thought it was cool, there is no way on earth I would have gone into that house. If I was the MC in this story, it would have been a very short book that would have ended with me sulking in the airport while my dad yelled “And you couldn’t have realised you were a wimp before we travelled a million miles to an island in the middle of NOWHERE?”), he is funny and he has the right amount of “Um, OK this is bizarre” moments that a lot of YA heroes seem to forgo in order to be all macho.But, there were times that I didn’t really like him and didn’t agree with the decisions that he made throughout the novel. And also, he’s a pretty crappy son/grandson. Just sayin’. BUT, I still love love loved this book and I think that Jake will be a much better hero in the inevitable sequel and I will be more inclined to root for him and be ready with fist-pumps and pom poms and the occasional high kick.

Love Interest.I.. I just can’t deal with this. I honestly can’t think of any situation where this love affair would be acceptable. Even the gooiest of romantics would find this stomach-churning. It’s just weird. I’ll let you make up your own decision.

Baddie.Holy guacamole. This book is soooo creepy and the baddie(s) do NOT disappoint. It was only in the final few chapters that we really got to meet them and find out about what they were after but argh, they were scary. I know I keep mentioning the sequel… but I really think with a little more detail and development these guys are going to make themselves known…. In my nightmares.

I would like to see Jake’s friends. They are the coolest kids ever. Kind of like if the lost boys (the originals… not the mulletted vamps) joined forces with the X-Men. YEAH. It’s that cool.

Angst.7/10. It would probably be a 15 if I included the angst I felt every time the love sauntered on the page, but this isn’t about me. This is about Jake and peculiar children who deal with angst in different and better ways than I. There are a lot of sadness and bitter-sweet ‘what ifs?’ in this book that made my heart hurt, especially concerning Abe, the sweetest grandpa ever.One of the things I loved most was the subtlety of Riggs’ writing… the true horrors of the book are only alluded to and allowing you to fill in the blanks. There is definitely a melancholic feel to this book and I felt like I was watching an old movie where you know that there isn’t going to be a happy ending. That may sound like a bad thing…. But it’s not at all, because the old movies are the best ones, right?

Recommended For.People who are fascinated by old photos and could spend full days just looking through them. People who don’t mind being completely creeped out by their reading material. People who love the 1940s. People who love time travel in books. People who don’t really care for time-travel because it hurts their head to try and figure it all out (like moi), it’s really easy to understand and it’s exciting! People who have always wondered what happens behind the doors of the shambling mansions that loom on stormy Welsh mountains. People who don’t mind love stories that would be perfectly at home in the pages of a book written by Virginia Andrews. People who don’t experience involuntary muscle spasms whenever the words ‘bog’ and ‘man’ are mentioned in the same sentence….cheers for that Seamus Heaney *twitch*. People who are patiently waiting for their own peculiar powers to kick in… any day now, Jo. Any day.

I hear that Fox has bought the film rights to this and people are screaming for Tim Burton to direct.But..I'm putting my foot down.Guillermo del Toro is the ONLY person who could do this film justice. That man knows how to deal with creepy orphans who are also adorable.... but mostly terrifying.I might write a letter to Mr Riggs suggesting this while I slurp a panad and eat rarebit and wonder what the heck happened to Gavin Henson's skin tone/career/life while listening to Aled Jones.

You can also read the review for this book and others along with a whole lot of other exciting stuff on my blog here....more

A note: I promise the follow is actually a review and not my application for the position of President of the Rick Yancey fan club.

"There are timesA note: I promise the follow is actually a review and not my application for the position of President of the Rick Yancey fan club.

"There are times when fear is not our enemy. There are times when fear is our truest, sometimes only, friend.”

"…for only a mad man believes what every child knows to be true: There are monsters that lie in wait under our beds.”

When I was younger I never believed in monsters.I like to think it was because even then I was a little clever clogs who knew that monsters didn’t exist and believing in them was for babies.But…um… it wasn’t.Because while most children were checking in their wardrobes and under their beds for monsters, I was convinced my house was haunted and that a ghost was going to eat me and/or possess me. I was a strange child.My house, for the record, was only built about thirty years ago and stands at the foot of the Pennines, not on an evil cemetery. Although there have been rumours that, like at Hadrian’s Wall, you can hear the sounds of marching Romans on cold, quiet nights….Um… what was I on about?Oh yes.The truth: I always thought that monsters were stupid. They were stupid because they could never exist.

Huge creatures who lived under my bed with slobbering, gnashing teeth?Please.The only things under my bed were books in boxes from Ikea and an alarming amount of odd socks and Crayola pencil crayons.And the Bogey man lurking in my wardrobe, ready to creep out when I was tucked up in bed?Whatever.The only monster in my wardrobe is the Furby I given when I was seven and when the novelty wore off and it wouldn’t shut up, I shoved it, swaddled in an old t-shirt, into a shoe box and flung it in.

But The Monstrumologist was not the book that I was expecting.Don’t get me wrong, I was dying to read it because in my head it was a story about a cute boy running around with a cantankerous old man fighting monsters. Sounds dead lovely, yeah?I thought it would be sweet and funny and I’d enjoy it but then I’d put it back on my shelf and forget about it and calmly move on to the next book. Pfft.Nice try, Jo. Try forgetting this book in a hurry.

A mixture of fantastic setting, brilliantly thought-out characters and relationships and genuinely horrifying action scenes; this book really has it all.

This book was vile, it truly was, and I’m not squeamish at all. I love horror films, I love gory films and I’m the sick sicko who watches the needle when the nurse takes my blood.But there were quite a few bits where I almost gagged. Not just pulled a face or though “Ew, that’s a bit gross.” Actually gagged. There was one in particular bit at the end and, yeeerugh, so so grim. So if you’re a bit of a wimp on the more delicate end of the spectrum… there’ll probably be a few parts you’ll skip. Funny I should use the phrase “a few parts”.Quite apt. Heh heh heh.

But don’t let that put you off.I can’t help but think if this book was ever adapted into a film (pleasepleasepleaseplease Adaption Fairy!) that, if it was faithful to the book, it would probably be rated as at least a 15. It is gruesome and it is macabre and it is relentless with its horror but never once does it turn gratuitous and I really loved that. It’s clear that Mr Yancey knows how to tell a horror story without resorting to cheap shocks.

But what is even clearer is that Mr Yancey can delve deep into human emotion, even the nasty bits, and portray it with startling accuracy and brutal honesty. The relationships and feelings explored in this book, particularly between Will (oh Will, I think we’re going to best of friends. You’re such a badass and I will always pick you for my monster-fighting team) and the doctor, were so beautifully written that I made a note of almost every paragraph in this book. I love the way that Yancey dealt with certain characters and situations but I can’t talk about them because of secret secrets.But I’ll just say this: There are lots of monsters in this book but not all of them have fangs dripping in blood.

I adored the prologue and the epilogue, too. Don’t worry, you’re still reading one of my reviews.And yep, I still hate epilogues and will continue to hate them until my dying day.Except this one. Usually the idea of an author adding himself as a character in his own story makes me feel a little queasy; but not this time. It added a sense of, and yes I’m aware at how stupid this will sound, realism to the whole story. I could absolutely picture Mr Yancey sat in his house, pouring over Will Henry’s diaries, scribbling notes in a notepad and researching places like Deadham and Whitechapel (!!!).There is a part at the end where the character Yancey describes Will Henry’s stories as “fiction” and I got angry. Yes.That’s right. I got angry at a fictionalised version of the author denouncing a fictionalised character.I wanted to scream at the book: “How do you know if it was real or not?! It’s NOT fiction! I know it because I saw it! I was there.”

Read this book with all the lights turned on.Read this book about an hour after you’ve eaten.Read this book with a wooden stake next to you.And….um, a few grenades. Better safe than sorry!

*cough*

Just read this book.

You can find this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog here....more

This book sounded fascinating and I thought the idea was interesting and innovative and something I have never read in a YA novel. But then… eh.I’ll sThis book sounded fascinating and I thought the idea was interesting and innovative and something I have never read in a YA novel. But then… eh.I’ll start with the things I liked. As Clem told the story of his grandma, his mother and father and then himself, the narration was dripping with delightful colloquialisms, humorous anecdotes and was, all in all, quintessentially British. In these sections Clem was a great narrator, telling his story of growing up with hindsight and peppering it with numerous wink-wink-nudge-nudge asides that had me laughing out loud. (The bit where he was trying to find out about sex through Lady Chatterley's Lover was hysterical)But unfortunately, the fun times stopped there. I often felt like I was reading two separate books. I’m not sure whether it was because I know pretty much nothing about the Cold War and the events leading up to it but it often felt like I was reading a historical textbook in a stuffy classroom in the last period on a Friday afternoon.I often found my mind drifting and I wanted to return to the strawberry fields with Clem and Goz and find out what was happening there. I think the problem was that Peet so desperately wanted to set the scene and explore the history of the time, which would be fine, but I didn't really think that the two sections linked together. I think Peet did a much better job at exploring the uncertainties of the era when he was depicted the feelings of George, Clem’s father, and the sense of disillusionment when he returned from fighting. “ ‘It’ was a better life, though, no matter what. The future he’d fought for. He’d imagined love, respect, comfort, pranky sex. It hadn’t turned out to be that, though. Quite the opposite.”

I just we’d spent more time in this section rather the heavy duty history sections....more

"I look over at the bed. I should lie down for a nap, get rid of this thick headache, but I hear things when I'm half asleep and they give me goose pi"I look over at the bed. I should lie down for a nap, get rid of this thick headache, but I hear things when I'm half asleep and they give me goose pimples. You're supposed to be able to die from fright from a nightmare, but I don't think these things are nightmares. I think they're real."

Initial Final Page Thoughts.Um… yeah, just going to make sure my window is closed properly. And double glazed. And bolted… twice. But I can’t help feeling a tad underwhelmed but I’m blaming my immune system… Let me explain…

High Points.Roger, this little rummon was such a joy to read about. But fret not, dear reader, I’ll virtually mollycoddle him later. Cora and Mimi. Peter. Curses. Witches. Men in graveyards (Mmm, yeah that one probably needs more explanation as to why it’s a high point). Gypsy trees. Marshes. Raffles (I love raffles, it would only be better if it was a tombola. But I don’t think my fragile, Olbas Oiled mind could deal with a tombola right now). Ramshackled houses. Petrifying prose. Hidden passages. Village hearsay (Whatever happened to them?! Actually, don’t answer that question…just in case we summon them back from 90s reject HELL). Things that go bump in the night. “It isn’t Aunt Ida.” The cover. Cave Bestiam.

Low Points.I wish I had been healthy when I read this book because like I mentioned earlier, I was pretty much flying high as a kite on Olbas Oil. Because I’m actually dying I have a snuffle. I wasn’t really on my game here and I ended up getting highly confused. So, I’m reluctant to blame Ms Barraclough’s writing but I have to be honest, there was quite a lot of moments when I was like ‘Whaat? Who’s that? What did they say? Why is everyone getting excited over a gate? Now who is singing?!’ and I had to flick back a few pages. Eventually it became clear. I may have to re-read this somewhere down the line. My only real qualms that I had with this book was that there were a lot of peripheral characters. They all seemed to blur into one (tended to be an elderly person with a secret that they didn’t dare tell anyone). And also the middle parts seemed to get a bit tedious. BUT... when the action happened... boy oh boy, did it happen.

Heroine/Hero. Mmm, Cora. Whenever there are children in books I always want them to be mischievous and cheeky and get into all sorts of scrapes and scuffles (and I guess Cora did, but these scrapes and scuffles could have actually killed her... so they weren’t as sweet and cute as they usually are!). I did like that Cora was a bit rough around the edges and she did come out with some funny grumpy one liners (and she didn’t mind constantly falling over/into marshes, which happened at alarming rates in this book), but I don’t know… there seemed to be something missing with Cora…Roger on the other hand was absolutely fantastic and he reminded me of Lee Carter. And when I invoke the power of Lee Carter, I mean business.And when I say business I mean I want to make tree houses, scrape my knees and fall into patches of nettles (which actually happened once when I was seven) and eat ice lollies and end up with half of it around my face/tangled in my hair. I bet this one will break a few hearts when he’s older. I’ll leave you with a quote to illustrate my point:

“It’s a shame though- when Dennis was on the way, Nurse Smallbone was rushing up Fieldpath Road in her old Ford Prefect to get to Mum when our dog, Bonzo, shot out in the road right into her car- smack bang- dead as a doornail. He was a great dog, old Bonzo. I can’t tell you how many times I wish we still had him instead of Dennis.”

Angst Level.9/10. Bahh, this book is like a ghost story that you get told around a campfire (although, I have actually never been told a ghost story around a campfire).Picture the scene. You’re sat in your best friend’s bedroom, dressed in pyjamas from Matalan, surrounded by cuddly toys and Mizz magazines that boast how to know if a boy loves you so (I hear it’s in his kiss, but I’m not 100%). You’re best friend is telling you a story that honest-to-god- happened to her granddad’s cousins wife’s niece who lives down the road. And she never lies. You: “That didn’t happen. Stop lying. It’s not even scary.”Best friend/Crypt Keeper: “I swear on my life it happened. Anyway, shut up. So yeah, the ghost drags a nail across the window, testing to see if they’re open.”There’s a loud bang downstairs and you both jump, flinging popcorn and Fangtastic Haribo’s across the room.You: “Bloody ‘ell, I thought your parents were out!”Best friend/Crypt Keeper: “Um, they are out.”You:“What?! No, I just heard them. One of them is coming up the stairs.”Best friend/Crypt Keeper: “That’s not my parents.”Nervous laughter.You: “Creaky floorboards?”Best friend/Crypt Keeper: “We got new ones fitted last month.”There’s a knock on the bedroom door and before you have enough time to leap across the room and hope to God the ivy covered lattice will hold your weight, the door flies open and it’s best friend’s brother asking sister if he can borrow a film.And then, naturally, you pelt him with TY beanie babies until he retreats, eyes watering, because those bad boys hurt.

That is what this book is like. You think everything is just a story, like Chinese-whispers, told over time, just rumours and folk tales and then things start to happen that can’t be explained.Ms Barraclough is seemingly a mistress of suspense and has created a perfectly paced, genuinely disturbing ghost story.

Recommended For.People who like spine-chilling books. People who aren’t surfing the Olbas Oil wave. People who like historical books. People who like it when the kids are in charge. People who have ever wonder why there are sometimes teddies and dolls stuck in trees. People who see horrifying, dilapidated churches and are like ‘HEY, LET’S GO IN!’. People who were wondering whether they need double glazing (read this book… there will not be a doubt left in your mind that you not only need it… but your life depends on it). People who wonder what the flip happened to TY beanie babies and how the heck they can get rid of the hordes they collected that are still perfectly packaged. People who find bell ringers unnerving. People who miss Bonzo.

You can read this review and other exciting stuff on my blog here....more

It would have been practically impossible to write one of my usual reviews on this wonderful graphic novel from Trina Robbins because it is3.5 Stars.

It would have been practically impossible to write one of my usual reviews on this wonderful graphic novel from Trina Robbins because it is so short.I had drawn and coloured in (within the lines, too!) a sprawling and epic graphic review of this novel and it was spectacular but just as I was about to scan in my masterpiece onto my computer…. It, um, broke. *cough*So yeah, you’ll have to make do with this bog-standard review. This graphic novel follows the story of Lily Renee Wilhelm, an Austrian girl who was sixteen when the Nazis forced her family to uproot and move to Vienna. After witnessing the horrifying and brutal acts that took place in this period (Especially the mention of Kristallnacht, an event that I learnt about in my history GCSE but never read any books that depicted it!), Lily is sent to England in a short-lived scheme set up by Germany to protect the children from the inevitable war. Before I started this book I knew nothing about Lily’s life and I found her story of surviving against the odds to become a hugely successful comic book illustrator fascinating. But I couldn’t help but feel like this book was a ridiculously fast-paced and rushed in some parts.I would have loved to have read more about Lily’s time in England and for Ms Robbins to have explored the complex feelings that the British undoubtedly felt towards Lily (along with the other Austrian/German children who were evacuated) while their cities were being ravaged by German bombers. Also, I think the story would have benefitted from a bit more detail on what happened to Lily when she landed on America and how she became to be a noted illustrator. There were a lot of gaps that could have been filled in by just adding a few more pages, just to clear things up and make the transitions feel less hurried as they did. It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of graphic novels and the aesthetics of this book did not disappoint me. It is blatant that Ms Robbins is a master illustrator and knows exactly what she is doing when it comes to creating affective and beautiful drawings. The vivid and lavish colours of the illustrations really complimented Lily’s fascinating story and the tragic history of the period. After a few hours snooping on the Internet, I feel it is well worth researching the life of Lily Renee Philips. Her life is a fascinating and remarkable story and one that I feel should be much more widely known about.

I received a copy of this book from the publishers.

You can read the review for this book, others and plenty more exciting stuff at my blog here....more

(Deciding to re-read this book was inspired by the wonderful ladies at Gathering Books and their fantastic bimonthly meme‘Everything Dahl and Magical’(Deciding to re-read this book was inspired by the wonderful ladies at Gathering Books and their fantastic bimonthly meme‘Everything Dahl and Magical’. Which I absolutely adore. )

“When writing about oneself, one must strive to be truthful. Truth is more important than modesty. I must tell you, therefore, that it was I and I alone who had the idea for the great and daring Mouse Plot. We all have our moments of brilliance and glory, and this was mine.”

I first read this glorious memoir aged twelve when I had to do a project in history on a historical person of my choice. I went to Staples, giddy as a kipper, and bought about five piles of coloured sugar paper and two packets of gel pens (the smelly glitter ones, of course) and set about completing possibly my favourite piece of homework. I was minding my own business in the classroom, armed with a Pritt Stick and a copy of every one of his book, when this absolute… so and so… in my class said ‘Roald Dahl? Historical? I don’t think so. You should have chosen a monarch or something. You’re going to get a rubbish mark.”Because I was a shy and retiring wallflower back then, I muttered something under my breath and glared at her from underneath my unfortunate fringe. BUT, if she had said that to me today I would have found a desk, stood on it and, with my chest puffed out, I would have declared: “Roald Dahl is a historical figure because if Roald Dahl hadn’t written his books then British children’s fiction… nay, British fiction would have been far too bleak to tolerate. He captured the imagination of so many children and wrote timeless stories that encouraged, and continue to encourage, children who would never normally pick up a book to do just that. And if making generation after generation fall in love with his writing doesn’t qualify him as a historical person then I don’t know what does.”But… like I said.Mumble. Glare. Unfortunate fringe. Anyway, I got my project back (and I still have it!) and my wonderful history teacher wrote: “Fantastic and original work here. You really did justice to a wonderful figure in British culture. 10 credits”10 credits? Fantastic and original. YEAH.Anyway... back to the book. I loved how Dahl only briefly mentions the stories that he is known for once. It is only right near the end where he is describing how Cadbury’s World (Which is just like Charlie's Chocolate Factory by the way!) used to send the boys of his boarding school sample chocolate to taste and how this lead to him writing Charlie and his adventures. So whenever it was mentioned that his grandfather was nearly seven foot tall or how the young boy used to wonder how gobstoppers worked, you can’t help but feel that Dahl is giving you a knowing wink or whispering a secret that only the two of you are privy to. Witnessing these glimmers of inspiration that lead him to write his beloved stories, all those years later, was definitely my favourite thing about this book. Mrs Pratchett with her blouse covered in “toast-crumbs and tea stains and splotches of dried egg-yolk” and hands that “looked as though they have been putting lumps of coal on the fire all day long.”Remind you of any one?

Or the Matron, that “large fair-haired woman with a bosom” who “ruled with a rod of steel.”

And Dahl’s Bestemama with her perpetual chair rocking or Bestepapa, who sits “saying very little and totally overwhelmed.”

Paired with photographs, hand-written letters home and, of course, Quentin Blake’s glorious illustrations (My favourite one being the bug-eyed, twitching Captain Hardcastle), Boy is still one of my all-time favourites.

I could quite happily fill this review with quotes.... but I'll just leave you with this one...

“Anaesthetics and pain-killing injections were not much used in those days. Dentists, in particular, never bothered with them. But I doubt very much if you would be entirely happy today if a doctor threw a towel in your face and jumped on you with a knife.”

You can find this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog here....more

“What can I say; I have a thing for guys in period dress, okay? That’s just who I am.”

Initial Final Page Thoughts. This book3.5 stars... rounded up.

“What can I say; I have a thing for guys in period dress, okay? That’s just who I am.”

Initial Final Page Thoughts. This book was like the younger tag-along sibling of Jellicoe Road and Frankie Landau-Banks. Very cute, a bit silly, surprisingly funny, sometimes annoying but ultimately, wholly charming.

Low Points.Chelsea started to grate on me a bit. I don’t like it when fictional best friends fight. There were a lot of unnecessarily long paragraphs about METAPHORS and HIDDEN DEPTHS and LATE NIGHT LIFE CHATS and it sometimes got a bit BORING.. I mean boring sorry... got carried away with the capitalisations. I liked what Ms Sales was saying but I didn't think it really fit with the tone of the book on some occasions and it often felt quite jarring. Like I was laughing one minute and then something serious was mentioned and I felt guilty for laughing and I had to be all serious all of a sudden. Chelsea, mate, you’re sixteen… there’s plenty of time to have angsty boy times and intense talks with a boy you have only just met. Please, just enjoy jumping on a trampoline with said cute boy. And that’s not a euphemism… *clutches pearls*Also, there is a bit at the end that really reminded me of the bit in Mean Girls when Cady gets Prom Queen and the principal says “You know, winners aren’t required to make a speech.” Which made me laugh and think I need to watch that film again soon….

Heroine.Well, when I say you started to grate on me… I mean that I wanted to you to stop talking about Ezra and just call Fiona and eat ice cream and tell you to shut the eff up.Because Fiona and I pretty much had the same mind.You were funny, appreciated history (sometimes I wish I had taken A-Level history) and you love ice-cream. BUT…You were a bit whingey and you were a bit stupid when it came to the people of the male disposition but you get Brownie points for wanting to get over McDouche. Even if you dragged your heels in actually doing it… And also you can work a historically accurate costume. Praise needs to be given for that. It takes a real woman to look good in a historically accurate costume.

Best Friend.YES. I loved Fiona. Although she did let Chelsea get away with a lot of her whinging. If I were ever to moan that much about a boy I just know my friend would throw a dollop of ice-cream at me which I would proceed to eat anyway…. Waste not want not.But I liked their ending.

Love Interest. Ezra= yuck. Why was he even still in the picture? He had absolutely no personality and he was definitely not someone who is worth all the pining he got. In a word… yawn.Dan= OK, now we’re getting somewhere. Although, I feel I don’t really you well enough. I would like to have had a bit getting to know you style flirty conversations (But not about difficult family situations…. Because we’ve only just met. And it would be intense.)

So… what’s your favourite colour?Why do you like the Sex Pistols so much?Why don’t you brush your hair?

Although why there was even a competition between a boy who wears historically accurate costumes (It actually reminds me of when I visited Warwick Castle and there was a bloke in a powdered wig who was pleasing to look at but he was, I repeat, in a powdered wig and it was confusing to say the least) and a boy who doesn’t like sledging… I don’t know.

Theme Tune.History- Funeral For a Friend.See, we were having fun weren’t we? Talking about boys in period costume and messy hair and crooked grins and stuff and then BAM… I hit you with this song. About metaphors and history and love and ANGST. Kinda ruined the mood, did it not?This is how I felt about this book a little. FUN FACT: FFAF are from Wales which is where I first encountered people who thought it was socially acceptable to dress in chainmail and walk around the streets re-enacting things with blunt swords and beards and dressed like wizards. Yeah.. the jury’s still out on this one.

I'm going to shake these reviews up a bit from now on to make things a bit clearer in determining the sadness of the book and the amount of love-related angst.

Boy/Girl Angst Level.9/10. Jeez. OK. Well… this book had the usual amount of boy angst you can expect when the heroine is confused about which boy she loves. I mean… I guess I need to cut Chelsea some slack. It is difficult to choose between a complete loser who doesn’t have a personality and treated you like crap and a cute boy with a bit of a rebellious side but actually truly cares about you and he’s a great big brother and he looks good in tweed pants and braces.It completely needs a bajillion pages to work it out. Harumph.

Sadness Scale.2/10. This book was very tame in the sadness scale because it was mostly funtimes all around so I didn’t get choked up about anything. I did like the part where Chelsea was looking through the memory box and remembering her relationship how it really was as opposed to the rose-tinted view she had before. I thought how Ms Sales depicted that bitter-sweet feeling of looking back into the past and being almost afraid to move on was interesting and realistic and almost excused the way Chelsea was behaving towards Ezra.

And also, Dan’s history was interesting… would have liked to have explored that a bit more.

Recommended For. People who like history. People who would choose the boring boy over the cute boy with a lopsided grin. People who are wondering what the girl on the cover of this book licking rain has anything to do with this book… SPOILER: Nothing. People who are wondering how one would go about becoming an ice-cream tester. People who think that trampolines are for jumping on, not oversharing on. People who want a surfer soul connection. People who always wonder whether the people in museums/history villagers are hot under all that material. People who want to know where the toilets are.

I received a copy of this from the publisher.

You can find this review and other exciting things on my blog here....more

"Don't you know that it is only very foolish folk who talk sense all the time?"

Another Series of Letters.

Manchester, A woman picked a leaf out of"Don't you know that it is only very foolish folk who talk sense all the time?"

Another Series of Letters.

Manchester, A woman picked a leaf out of my hair on the bus today (true story… it's very windy and I don’t brush my hair there are a lot of trees near me). Also, I’m pretty sure One Direction (and their fan girls) were on the same bus this morning. (Brits… you’ll understand my pain. Everyone else, you don’t want to know...I promise you.)Also, the postman didn’t knock on the door and just shoved one of those ‘SORRY YOU WEREN’T IN’ things through my letter box. That would not be tolerated on Prince Edward Island. You’re making my decision to move all the more easier.Yours faithfully, Miss Williams.

Dear L.M,Re: Moving into your mind.Did you get my previous letters? Have you had chance to think about me moving into your mind? Only I have a few friends who would probably be quite interested too. We won’t make much noise, we’ll take off our shoes before entering and we’ll always use a coaster.Please think about it!Kind Regards,J. Williams.

Dearest Anne, I fear I must apologise for laughing so heartily at the firecracker incident. I promise I was laughing with you and not at you.I hope my honesty and my apology will still allow me to be your kindred spirit.Lots of love,Jo.

P.S. Re: Gilbert. ANNE. You have no idea how much I wanted to strangle you with that descending veil of yours at the end.

Dear Gilbert,Sigh. If only you were real your heart didn’t beat in time with another’s.

Yours Truly, Jo.

Miss L- They say life starts at 40….. And I’m sure the handsome prince will help. ;-) –J.W

Paul,Stay away from Davy, I don't want your innocent and sweet mind messed up by him. He is obviously up to no good and only naughty people will be silly enough to play with him. Best wishes,Jo.

“Never date a guy who can fit into your jeans- Adriane often warned me- failing to mention that it was because I might someday need him to save me fr“Never date a guy who can fit into your jeans- Adriane often warned me- failing to mention that it was because I might someday need him to save me from a secret society of murdering Renaissance Faire rejects.”

Initial Final Page Thoughts.Sigh…. And we were doing so well. OK, up until about 80% this book would have been a 5 star book. I was happily ignoring the mental far-fetchedness of the plot because I loved the characters and the setting and the writing. But even I couldn’t suspend my disbelief at the end. More on this later….

Low Points.OK, the last 20% were just ridiculous. So much crazy stuff happened that even if I ignored my no spoiler rule… I don’t think I could actually tell you everything that happened. Some of the reveals I had ‘guessed’ (when I say guessed I mean I thought ‘Oh no… that’s not going to happen is it? He’s not… she’s not… Oh god… he is, they are!’ way) and they still confused me. Others were just so random. And then there were the chosen ones and guns and the melting faces. Also, I’m particularly good at ignoring historical inaccuracies (within reason) and authors bending theories to fit their stories because that kind of thing isn’t my strong point. So I’m not entirely sure, if that is your area of expertise how you’d feel about this book. But I’m just saying… it wasn’t a low point for me but it could be for others. But other than that… I really did enjoy this book. The story was a bit fanciful and I haven’t been completely sure about religious sects and secret societies and whatnot post-Mr Brown… but the characters, the writing and the narration made up for this. But…authors: STOP KILLING OFF LOVELY LOVE INTERESTS. Seriously, I have only just got over the fact that I could never be with Charlie and then you throw Chris at me. No fair, Ms Wasserman. No fair.

Heroine.Nora, I’m pretty sure we’re the same person. We have the same views on EVERYTHING including religion, school, love and just life in general. So… that makes me as awesome as you, right? Right. I loved how, even when the plot booked a ticket to Fruit Loop Town, you stayed extremely normal and you didn’t turn into a crazy person.I just loved your narration… seriously, I underlined practically everything you said.

“I hated romance novels, romantic comedies, and cheesy love poetry with equal passion- but I wasn’t stupid enough to think I could ignore them, I believed in happily ever after as much as anyone because Jane Austen, Prince Charming, and Hugh Grant promised me it could happen. But maybe that particular delusion was universal.”

And it didn’t even bother me that you were a bit angsty (because, with everything considered, you deserved it!) or that there were a lot of boys in love with you.Because I think I was a little bit in love with you by the end. There was the bit that I thought you were going to turn out to be Jesus… but it turned out fine so the above statement still stands.

Elizabeth.I actually loved the connections between Elizabeth, her story and her letters, and Nora. I was a bit unsure about them at first but they really grew on me. They effortlessly merged together and they never seemed forced. They were also beautifully written and poetic without being too over the top.

“I have discovered what fills the vacuum left by love. It is called necessity, and it will not be denied.”

I’m so so glad that you didn’t turn out to be like that godawful Sabrina film that I watched when I was ill. You know, the one with the locket and a painting and the fact she was her long lost, long dead relative.You don’t know the one?Neither do I.Heh heh.*flees*

Best Friend.I could write an essay on my feelings on Adriane. But I won’t, don’t worry…. Because there are a lot of twisty turns in this book and it’s good not knowing.Every time I read the name ‘Adriane’ I got that song from The Calling in my head and all I could think of was of the lead singer’s crazy eyebrows and his ridonkulous hair and his rooftop angst. This has nothing to do with the story or this Adriane …. ALTHOUGH, the lyrics are quite apt. Anyway… moving on.

Love Interest.I literally have NO idea where to start with this.When I pick up a book there is about a 91% chance that I will fancy someone within the creamy pages. In this book... there were THREE. (It didn’t stay that way though…. My loyalties were tested in this.)We first meet Chris, who is quickly dubbed as Prince Charming because he is HOT STUFF and sexy and funny and has curly hair and Nora is instantly in love with him….because she’s human. Sounds simple, right?NO. Because he’s dead.This is not a spoiler because it tells us in the synopsis and it’s also his blood splattered across the walls in the first page. *sob*He’s genuinely dead and buried and it’s very sad but he’s still so cute and he’s not really a love interest but I couldn’t not include him. Because I love him.BUT WAIT… there’s more. Then we have Max… awkward, brooding, a little unhinged. Stereotypical love interest? No siree.He likes history. He quotes poetry. He treats Nora with respect. He wears vintage t-shirts. He likes to travel. Sure.... he has some faults. But I won’t go into them… *cough*BUT WAIT… I’m not done yet.Because here comes Eli. Oh Eli. You dark horse with your mystery and your humour and your snarky retorts. And you are cultured, you can speak Czech, you are intelligent and you have ninja moves. I also appreciate your love for wearing novelty t-shirts to bed (Dennis the Menace). Also.. Tweety Bird undercrackers. What girl could resist? Again…. you have some faults. And again, I won’t go into them.

So, all in all, out of the boys (with a pulse) Eli, you are a WINNER.Hurrah for you.

Theme Tune.I struggled with this one because there were a lot of feelings and ideas covered. But I kept circling back to Nora and the way she was so guarded with her feelings and was reluctant to move forward and how, even though she pretended to be tough and cynical and whatevz, she was vulnerable and sad inside.Which, considering the crap she’s had to deal with in her sixteen or so years on this earth, is perfectly understandable. I loved that the ending was so ambiguous and Ms Wasserman allowed us to fill in the blanks.So this song is my blank.

The New by InterpolAnd I know you don’t believe in happy endings and they are for optimists and dreamers… but I hope you get one, Nora. It may take a while, but you’ll get there. And tell him I say hi.

And if not… screw you, Hugh Grant. *shakes fist*

Boy Angst Level.

Sadness Scale.

I’m skipping these two because it would be impossible to talk about them without ruining everything.

Recommended For. People who like adventure stories with heaps of mystery. People who like strong and hilarious heroines. People who can read the Da Vinci Code for the entertainment side of things and not get angry and stabby. People who like letters…. FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE. People who can’t resist a boy who has a European accent… that isn’t English. People who blame Richard Curtis for all of their love problems. People who want to travel to Prague… without, y’know, all the murder. People who like boys to wear novelty underwear.

I received a copy of this book from the publishers. It will be published early next year.

It’s normal in Cairo- the city of magic and ancient mysteries- for rich and poor to stand side by side, to share the same doorways and bui3.5 stars.

It’s normal in Cairo- the city of magic and ancient mysteries- for rich and poor to stand side by side, to share the same doorways and buildings, the same streets, without ever really seeing each other.

“Nothing can satisfy our minds like the kinds of journeys we are capable of when we use our imaginations. Only then can we discover the truth.

When I visited Cairo a couple of years ago, the thing that struck me the most was how fascinating and incredibly daunting it was seeing two completely different lifestyles living within the same city. On one hand you have the cool, air conditioned museums, the restaurants, the five star hotels, the tour buses full of tourists who are suffering from incredible cases of sunstroke.(Well, ok, that may have just been me. My skin can’t even handle a Mancunian summer, I practically combusted in the Sahara.)But on the other, the side that they don’t cover in the guide books, is something completely different and this is what The Glass Collector is about. From the first page I could tell how passionate Ms Perera was about telling Aaron’s story. It’s honest without being too preachy. It’s harrowing without being too intense. It’s sweet without being too saccharine. And I really appreciated how Ms Perera portrayed Aaron’s happiness with the same importance as his struggles. The only problem I had with this book was the style in which it was written (third person, present tense) and I’m not sure whether it’s just because I’m not used to reading books like this or what, but I can’t say I was a fan.

But other than that it was a really fascinating look into a subject which is very rarely addressed in literature, never mind young adult/middle grade books. I’d really recommend it, especially for readers on the younger side of YA.

“I nodded subserviently while inside I was chewing over his words: tipped the balance of power. It seemed a strange expression to me becaus3.5 stars.

“I nodded subserviently while inside I was chewing over his words: tipped the balance of power. It seemed a strange expression to me because it gave me an image of a seesaw, and when one end was up the other was always down. It was never actually balanced.”

Initial Final Page Thoughts.What… wait.. was that…? No.. it couldn’t be. Could that be an epilogue that didn’t make me superfluously angry?! I believe it was. Gosh.And also… sadness.

High Points.Let’s hear it for the boys. History. Unflinching. Raw. Nelson. Snakes in the grass. Honesty. Brothers. Thought-provoking. Difficult questions. The writing.

Low Points.Oh won’t somebody think of the children parents? Seriously… I know in YA Land parents are normally dead/divorced/ awol for unexplained reason and I’ve come to accept that. But this was ridiculous. These boys were just running around like the lost boys at the end! And speaking of the ending, it was.. um.. interesting but a little unconvincing and about as subtle as a ton of bricks. Also, I wish we had spent more time in 1985. It was nice to see Robert starting off in the boarding school but I think it went on for a bit too long and, I know Mr Wallace had to set the scene because some people (like moi) may not know about this era at all, but I would like to have had more time looking at Robert when he was older because I think his character really started to develop and, of course, break my heart and make me scowl and sigh in exasperation and write ‘ROBERT NOOOO! Come on!’ and ‘Robert don’t do that. Why are you doing that?!’ and ‘PLEASE JUST STOP EVERYTHING THAT YOU’RE DOING’ in my little notebook.

Hero….ish.Alright Robert. I would call you Bobby or Jacko because that’s what your… friends call you. But, to be honest, I don’t know if I want to be your friend because it seems you’re not a very good one. I won’t go into the details because I know it’s a sore subject and it just makes me upset to think about it because I thought we were going to be close and then you ruined it all (oh and also spoilers). But you know what you did or what you didn’t do.So we’ll leave it at that.

The journey that the reader goes on with Robert is fascinating and often difficult to read. It was hard to see Robert, the nervous and shy boy in the first chapter, be seduced by Ivan’s manipulative ideas and turn his back on everything he knew was right because he was afraid to standout and have Ivan’s bullying turn on him.(There is a moment where Robert says that he “hid by joining in” because it was easier to go along with Ivan’s “games” than it was to call him out.) Even though I didn’t necessarily like him, I felt like I knew him. And even though I didn’t agree with the choices he made, I understood why he made them. Robert was a fascinating character and it was impossible not to sympathise with him, in spite of everything. I thought it was really effective seeing the events occur from his perspective as it introduced a lot of the thought-provoking questions that made this book so compelling.

But yes... Robert was definitely an interesting character and I’m still not 100% sure I had him completely figured out. One minute I wanted to hug him and tell him all was forgiven. And then the next minute I wanted to throttle him or at least frown until he understood that I was angry with him.

This book will stay with me for a long time and definitely made me think.That’s right… think. *looks suspiciously at the book*

I’m missing out a whole lot of these headings because I really don’t want to ruin anything for those interested in reading it.

I have so much love for this man and this song and this video is just fantastic.

Sadness Scale.10/10.It’s weird to give this book such a high rating because it didn’t make me cry so much as it made me uneasy and on edge and I honestly don’t think making his audience sad was Mr Wallace’s intention and he didn’t make me… wait… ok, I’m gonna change things around before I give myself a nosebleed.Gimme a sec.

Distress Scale.10/10. OK, that’s better. As I was saying, this book had me on edge. About everything. And it distressed me. I finished this book yesterday and I’m still thinking about certain scenes and fretting about them. I’ve been dithering to and fro writing this review and I’m still not 100% sure that what I’m saying is going to make sense.I don’t really want to go into the parts that I found most distressing because, obviously, they are more effective when you don’t know they are coming. Wallace doesn’t keep any of his characters safe, something tragic happens to pretty much every single one of them, but it never feels forced or as if Wallace has sat at his desk and thought ‘Damn, that character is in danger of having a happy ending. Quick think of something hideous to happen to them.’And the fact that these issues were never milked or dwelled on for too long made them all the more upsetting. The conclusion of one of the events that I’m still thinking about was given approximately three lines… yet it still chilled me to the bone.

Recommended For.People who are looking for a compelling historical YA novel that deals with difficult subjects in an honest and insightful manner.

You can find this review and other exciting things on my blog here....more

"I tell you, if we had one jot of the courage of these animals we should be in ParisThis review is part of my Poppies & Prose feature.

3.5 stars

"I tell you, if we had one jot of the courage of these animals we should be in Paris by now and not slugging it out here in the mud... It was not their fault they were sent on a fool's errand. They are not circus animals, they are heroes, do you understand, heroes, and they should be treated as such."

So I have to admit when I first started reading this book, I didn’t have high expectations. There are three reasons for this:1) It’s so short! I know less is sometimes more but… it’s 165 pages. That could get lost in my back teeth! 2) It’s aimed at younger readers. And I mean…. younger readers. I’d say middle grade at least. 3) I’m kind of scared of horses ever since the one time I went camping with Brownies and a horse chomped on my culottes. They’re just too big and scary with their nickering and … *shudders*

And then I found out it was told from the perspective of a horse and…. OK, I really didn’t know much about this book before I started it so I was kind of aghast when I saw how short it was, how it was probably written for people half my age and that it was told from the perspective of probably the great great great granddad of the horse WHO NEARLY ATE ME.And that, my friends, is why you should always do your research. But research can sometimes be a problematic thing because if I had read about this book and found out the aforementioned stuff and I know I would have given this book a miss. And I would really have missed out on a wonderful book.

(It’s still too short though.)Joey’s story starts in the tranquil fields of a Devon after being bought as a young colt from an auction house when Britain was on the cusp of the First World War. He is soon sold into the cavalry and shipped off to France.Even though this book is aimed at a middle-grade level, this book didn’t read like it. The language was evocative, descriptive and captivating. Mr Morpurgo never talks down to his readers and choosing honesty rather than sheltering them from what really happened in WW1 because it could be too distressing. What I enjoyed most about this book is how Joey was used as a vehicle to explore the feelings of the soldiers, on both sides of no man’s land. As the book, and the war, goes on and his circumstances change, Joey’s journey leads him to meeting a handful of characters in the war torn fields of France. Whether it was Captain Nicholls, Friederich, David, Emilie or Topthorn, his fellow horse, the connections he made with them were always true, even if they were fleeting.I loved how the soldiers (and let’s not forget Emilie!) saw Joey as their fellow comrade, feeling comfortable to sit with him in his stables and tell Joey their secrets, their worries and their futures. For me, it was these interactions with “the real heroes” that made this story so powerful and intricate, even though the pages were minimal. It is a poignant story that combines the themes of determination, unwavering devotion, bravery and compassion with a story that a lot of people will find interesting. Before reading this, I knew little of the cavalry in WW1 or actually how many horses served over there. The scenes with the Veterinary Corps were particularly interesting because you don’t really think of things like that when you think of the First World War.OK, maybe you do. But I certainly didn’t. I can understand why this book, which was first published in 1982 , is so widely read in schools and of course why it is now an award winning stage play (which I desperately want to see by the way. I saw a documentary about the making of it and it looks brilliant). A lot of the feelings and emotions that Morpurgo explores are not only universal, but timeless too.

I could, with mild reluctance, say that Joey would be the only horse I would be willingly friends with. And I’d even let him have a bit of the crusty bread.As long as he promised to leave my garments alone. ...more

There are slight spoilers hovering around in this review… I’m going to try and not spoil it outright but if you don’t want to know anything about it…There are slight spoilers hovering around in this review… I’m going to try and not spoil it outright but if you don’t want to know anything about it… here’s the short version: read it read it read it.

“Together always. Free… And their lives ahead of them, around them, spilling from them as they screamed Whoooooooooo like three demented owls. What joy it was to be, what joy.”

Initial Final Page Thoughts.Breath taken and hairs on the back of my neck standing up… wowowow. This book was spectacular. High Points.Shell. Father Rose. Trix. Jimmy. Caves. Rhymes. Altar boys who think unholy thoughts. Buckets and spades. Doing a Mary Magdalene. Ireland. Jezebel. See Shells. Piers. Mirrors. Faith. Spirituality. Bras. Hope. Ferris Wheels. “The dreams and laughs and tears. The here-and-nows and the here-afters.”

Low Points.I honestly can’t think of one that won’t sound lame like “It wasn’t long enough”.So… I’m passing on this one.

…..But it wasn’t long enough. I wanted to know what happened after… what happened to Shell, what happened to Father Rose, what happened to Trix and what happened to Jimmy….*sulks*

Heroine.Oh Shell, my heart is bleeding for you. But you’re the kind of heroine who wouldn’t want my sympathy… so I’m sorry, but I can’t help it.I was emotionally invested in your story, your narration, your circumstances.And I still am. If it helps you also have my utmost respect because you are one of the strongest heroines I’ve ever read. Shell’s narration often had me stopping and reading over the paragraphs again because they were so beautiful.

“In the triptych of mirrors was the image of him standing there, again and again, into infinity, reaching out forlornly into another world, a world in which Mam had gone and the living could not follow.”

Shell’s narration is so breathless and passionate and so full of feeling, it was impossible to look away. There was one scene… in a cave… with the boy… that was possibly the most compelling sex scenes I’ve read in YA fiction. Not a “deflowering” in sight either… Hurrraaaah. Ms Dowd’s portrayal of Shell’s battle with her faith, after everything she’s been through, was so compelling. But what I loved most about this book was after I finished it, I still had no idea where Ms Dowd stood on religion. I think with books with ‘controversial’ subjects, it is so easy for authors to inject their own beliefs and write a story that is basically a vehicle to bully them on to their readers. But this never happened. Shell was so resilient and even though she would have had my full support if she wanted to crawl under the duvet and weep into her pillow, she never did. She stands alone throughout most of this book but, even when everyone turns their back on her, she remains true to herself. And, throughout it all, she still has time to raise her brother and her sister without a second thought. I think Shell and I are going to be friends for a while.

Father Rose.“Coolbar isn’t ready for a gum-chewing priest.”Maybe not, but I definitely was.Lovedlovedloved this man. And his car, Jezebel. And I loved his ending.“Isn’t the world a mad fandango?”

Here be minor spoilers.

Love Interest The Boy.OK, I know, I knowww.I’m not supposed to like Declan after everything he did and after everything he didn’t. But I so so so did. Yes, he’s a bad boy but not a cliché bad boy who dwell in dark classrooms of YA books that stare and leer and brood from the side lines.He’s actually a boy. A realistic boy that you can imagine sitting at the back of the bus, scrawling crude graffiti on the back of the seat, grabbing at you, making suggestive comments to you when you walk by, who wonders what kind of bra the Virgin Mary would wear and calls going to have a quick shufty in a field “Doing a Mary Magdalene”.I think Shell understood this too.

“He wasn’t like the blacksmith in Mam’s old song. Unlike him, he’d never made any promises. He’d never written a letter. He was maybe a heart-breaking smooth operator… but he’d never pretended anything else.”

See? If Shell still likes him… how can I hate him? I don’t think Ms Dowd would have wanted me to, anyway. I bet she had a lot of fun with Declan.I know I know. He made some bad decisions. But they were realistic decisions and he wasn’t to know and I like to think that if he had known, he would have made different ones.I think he really did care for Shell… and, not because he had to like Trix and Jimmy did.But because of her.

“They made me dizzy. But not as dizzy as you made me, Shell. I still remember.”

Ohh.

Theme Tune.

After the Storm by Mumford & Sons.And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.Get over your hill and see what you find there,With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

I don’t know what it is about Mumford and Sons but they always seem to find the words to emotions when I can't. The more I listen to this song, the more I realise how perfect it is for this book and mirrors the journey that Shell goes on and how she comes out of it all stronger and braver.

Sadness Scale.10/10. I don’t usually cry at books and this one was no exception… probably because my body felt so numb and my mind was so fixated on Shell’s story that I forgot how to cry. When you find out what this book is about, whether it’s from reading the book or reading a review or whatever, you will no doubt roll your eyes and think “Oh god, not one of those stories”.Believe me, I did it too. Ms Dowd created a novel that is equal parts harrowing and beautiful. It’s a story that is told without judgement or an agenda or melodrama. Even though this book is awfully sad and one that will stick with me for a long time, what I loved most about it was the hopefulness at the end. No, it wasn’t a happy ending as such. The characters are still shrouded in uncertainty and there are still problems and Ms Dowd doesn’t insult the intelligence of her readers by suggesting everything is going to be fine.But she leaves us with such hope and positivity and joy that there is a chance, even if it is small, that they will all make it through. And I think they will.

Recommended For.Everyone. People who want a realistic novel that focuses on the heroine and her strengths rather than how she acts around a boy. People who wonder if the altar boys are always thinking holy thoughts. People who like to pick up stones for no reason. People who like make up rhymes. People who think a smooth stretch of sand on the beach is for jumping on and messing up. People who aren’t top of their class but who are in a class of their own.

You can read this review and other exciting things on my blog here....more

“The advantage to using the stuff of real life is that one really is left with people who are far more interesting than what one could ever make up.”“The advantage to using the stuff of real life is that one really is left with people who are far more interesting than what one could ever make up.”

OK, when I first started reading about this book and people were saying that this book was I have to admit I was sceptical. Graphic Novel Fun Fact: Maus was the first graphic novel I ever read and anyone knows me and my reading tastes will know that I will defend the graphic novel to the death.So, needless to say, it made an impression on me.

The book is split up into the three questions that Mr Spiegelman has been asked throughout his life.Why the holocaust?Why mice?Why comic books?Spiegelman has such an easy way of combining hilarious anecdotes with fascinating historical background to provide an interview that is always compelling . From stories of his visit to Auschwitz, to how a Neo-Nazi ended up with a poster of Maus on his bedroom wall and how the idea of assigning each nationality with an animal came to him, Spiegelman, like his character in Maus, talks candidly about how he came to create one of the most memorable graphic novels ever written… or, um, drawn. I love how Spiegelman is never afraid to tell it how it is (a particular interesting part was the discussion about the pitfalls of creating a book/film about the Holocaust and how it can so often “risk the melodramatic trivialization of their suffering” or, as he puts it, “Holokitsch”) and he doesn’t worry about how his image will come across. As in Maus, he openly discusses the often difficult relationship he had with his father but how “it never occurred to [him] to try and create a heroic figure” in either his father or himself, which could have easily happened with a story like Maus. I think this honesty makes the original story so much more effective because it’s real.Every page is a visual treat. It sounds like a cliché… but I don’t care. It truly was. All through the book are examples of Speigelman’s original Maus sketches, photographs, unseen drawings, other artists illustrations and snippets of books, pamphlets and leaflets that he used for research. The book also comes with a disc of a digitalised version of the novel, complete with hyper-links, audio and the sketches of his original panel ideas. I spent a good few hours clicking through it and I know I didn’t even scratch the surface of what is included.

This book is an absolute must for fans of Maus, fans of history and fans of graphic novels.I truly couldn’t recommend this more.

The only slightly negative thing I had to say about it is that MetaMaus is best read with a copy of Maus in the other hand. But that isn’t a negative thing at all because I loved the opportunity to re-read it.But it did lead to the dilemma of which one to put down when I wanted a sip of my tea… because, honestly, I couldn’t decide between the two.

I didn’t think I could enjoy Maus more than I did… but it seems MetaMaus proved me wrong.

(Note: This is one of those books that to truly grasp it properly, I will have to do numerous re-reads. But I’m looking forward to every one of them.)

An advanced copy of this book was provided for review by Viking. ...more

"None of us - teacher or taught- realised how an imagined life can sustain you as a possibility, a hope, and remain just that. Like parallel train tra"None of us - teacher or taught- realised how an imagined life can sustain you as a possibility, a hope, and remain just that. Like parallel train tracks, it runs alongside, but will never meet the life you are living."

This book took me absolutely ages to get into and I have no idea why. You know when you know a book is going to be good and the writing is fantastic and the story is brilliant but there is just something stopping you from tearing through it?I think the main problem that I had was that I seemed to have missed the one sentence that explained the date when each narrator was so I was getting all muddled. But that’s not really my fault because no one told me that when you read a book you actually have to … you know, read it.Anyway, this book was fascinating. I loved the era, I loved the story. The characters, well, I could’ve done with a bit more connection to them.It seems, from other reviews on here, that I’m not the only person who felt this book would have been so much better if it was a non-fiction. I’ve never read Funder’s Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall but from the merits of this book, I really want to. It is clear that Ms Funder knows this era and is passionate about it. I swear I could almost smell the cigarette smoke in the bars that Dora, Ruth and Toller visited. It was impeccably researched and I loved the cameos of prominent figures like Auden and Isherwood.In my third year at uni I took a module of British Writers in the 1930s so I read Auden’s poems and Isherwood’s Mr Norris Changes Trains (and it was possibly my favourite module of my uni time, with the possible exception of Detective Fiction) I think this book would be a great one to read for that module. Hmm, maybe I should send my lecturer an e-mail.Sorry, where was I?The main problem I had was that even though I liked the main characters, I didn’t really feel emotionally connected to them. Which is strange because the subject of the events that inspired this story is full of emotional intensity. The characters all just seemed so… removed, which I know was the point and I loved Funder’s exploration of memory and perception and reconstructing the past. It seemed very evocative of The Blind Assassin in that way, but not as in depth. “Sometimes the imitation is brighter than the real.” I think out of the two narrators, my favourite (read: the one that broke my heart the most) was Toller. I’ve never read anything of his so it was fascinating to learn more about him and even if it was fictionalised story. In All That I Am, Ms Funder produced a fascinating book telling a story that I was admittedly extremely ignorant about. It is a story of determination and fighting for what you believe in an era when it would have been easier, and safer, to sit back and do nothing. It’s definitely encouraged me to read more about the true people who resisted Hitler and the Nazis and sought to tell the world about his plans, because it truly is an inspiring tale.

This review is part of my Poppies & Prose feature. You can find out more about it here.

“Below me were my wooden soldiers. The nutcracker men wereThis review is part of my Poppies & Prose feature. You can find out more about it here.

“Below me were my wooden soldiers. The nutcracker men were hidden in the dark shadows of the tree and the wall, but the moonlight gleamed on my Frenchmen and my Tommies…The guns in France pounded away with their faint little thunder, and I thought that my real dad would be just like my model, wide awake, watching the sky.”

This was one of those rare, wonderful books that you read without knowing anything about. The idea of the book fascinated me: a toy maker is drafted to the trenches and sends carved soldiers that he sees to his ten year old son, Johnny, back in England. As Johnny collects the toy soldiers and creates an army to fight back the strong nutcracker soldiers that his dad made him before he went, he notices that the battles he makes up in the mud under the beech tree are becoming more like the ones that his dad writes about. Doesn’t that sound like a brilliant and unique way of telling a story about a boy whose dad is fighting in WW1?Yes. And it really was.

This book had me captivated and I read it within a couple of hours, not realising how much time had passed until I realised that the day had slipped into dusk. Whoops.I was riveted by Johnny’s story (I would also like to be best friends with him) and the unlikely friends he makes while he is living in Kent, avoiding the dangers of London. The only thing that is preventing me from giving this book the full five stars were the letters that Johnny received from his dad.

And I have to admit I’m still not sure I should be so picky.And I am being picky so please take that into account.I found it very difficult to believe that a father would write to his ten year old son every minute detail of what happened to him when he went over the top . I understand the necessity of telling children the truth about the horrors of the war, or at least explaining that it isn’t like playing with toy soldiers in your back garden, but there is a difference between telling them the truth and scaring the living daylights out of them!Poor Johnny. Surely he would have liked a bit of reassurance that the dad he was already worrying about wasn’t going to die like the men mentioned in the telegrams the postman brings around. But, like I said, I am being picky because if I ignored the niggling in the back of my mind… the letters were really well executed and, as this is really Johnny’s story in England, allowed the reader to get a sense of what is happening over there. And the soldiers that accompanied these letters, becoming more and more twisted and broken, was a really effective and poignant way of illustrating that war, as the tagline suggests, is no longer a game.

So I don’t mind admitting that I’m the world’s biggest wuss when it comes to anything that resembles a puppet, clown or ventriloquist dummy. And nutcracker men don’t necessarily come under this category but there was definitely something extremely… eerie isn’t the right word… but well yeah eerie about these little guys. I loved how Mr Lawrence introduced an extremely subtle yet intriguing element of magic within this story. As he states in his author’s note at the end: “There was something about the Great War that inspired the belief in the supernatural”. Whether this was the sightings of apparitions of English archers protecting the soldiers from the Germans on the same ground as they did against the French centuries earlier, ghostly soldiers or the famous case of the Angel of Mons. I thought the mystery behind what was really happening with those wooden soldiers and their influence was in equal measures unnerving and poignant. Oh and one last thing… that last paragraph? Urrrgh, shivers.

“You must always think of it like that if you can. Think of it as – as romantic. It helps.”

This review is going to be a quick one because it’s impos“You must always think of it like that if you can. Think of it as – as romantic. It helps.”

This review is going to be a quick one because it’s impossible to really go into depth without spoiling the story.I don’t normally read plays because they seem to unleash a wave of high school-related memories and trying to think of quotes and line numbers and acts and basically getting myself into a tizzy. But I love the theatre and I’ve wanted to read Journey’s End for a while now because I’ve heard it was beautiful and tragic. And they are my favourite adjectives when it comes to literature.Journey’s End is an extremely claustrophobic play, set in the trenches in March 1918 as the war is drawing to a close. It tells the story of a group of officers and their commander over a course of three days. Apparently R.C Sherriff intended the play to be called ‘Suspense’ or ‘Waiting’ and, I have to say, they both would have been perfect titles for this.This play was so tense.And a lot of people may dismiss the scenes and the conversations as slow but I think that is the whole point and what makes the. In the films set around WW1 there is always something happening, shells exploding, machine guns hammering but in reality there was a lot of time where the men were just waiting. Instead of writing a play that is about the combat, Sherriff chose to focus on the men and their feelings. The most striking part was that he could have chosen any group of soldiers on either side of No Man’s Land and still had the same play, the same feelings and the same message. I loved the characters, each and every one of them feeling real to me. Complex Stanhope with his inner conflicts and extremely human fears, the dark humorous banter between Osborne and Mason, Hibbert and his terror, the ever changing relationship between Stanhope and the young Raleigh, the enthusiastic, optimistic officer who becomes more and more disillusioned when he begins the truth and sees what happens to men who are fighting. I loved them all. This play reminded me of the preface that Wilfred Owen wrote: “This book is not about heroes. English poetry is not yet fit to speak of them.” And it’s so true. The scenes between the men were extremely subtle and really drove home the complete and utter futility of it all. And I think it’s this subtlety that made the final scene all the more haunting. Maybe I shouldn’t go and see this on stage… the public tears could be embarrassing.

This review is part of my Poppies & Prose feature. You can find out more here. ...more

“We’re all the same here, he told himself; a handful of life trying to preserve itself like the candle light in the bunkers, a bundle of duties in un“We’re all the same here, he told himself; a handful of life trying to preserve itself like the candle light in the bunkers, a bundle of duties in uniform, feeling and thinking like human beings, but trained to act like automatons.”

Well, I honestly don’t know what to say about this book.To say reading it was a bit of a slog would be doing it a great disservice and one that would be unfair. So, because I’m a crazy kid and whatnot, I’m going to split this book into two. Not the review.No no.The actual book.

And the first book I will be reviewing will be known as Cross of Iron: The Book Jo Disliked. (TBJD) The second book I will be reviewing will be known as Cross of Iron: The Book Jo Liked. (TBJL)

Because this book made me feel conflicted something rotten.I’m going to start with TBJD. I remember this conversation I had with my friend about protagonists and how I didn’t mind if they were a bit… unsavoury. Some of my favourite protagonists are, in fact, mental psychopaths.And I stand by my decision. I like my main characters with a bit of edge, I like them to have flaws and I like them to be a bit prickly.But this book really took that to a whole new level though. I think out of all the men in this book I liked about three of them. And they were hardly in it (view spoiler)[or at least not for long! (hide spoiler)]Steiner was a really interesting and complex character but I found him often to be too callous, too calculating and unnecessarily cruel. Saying that though, I did like the parts where this book was told from his perspective the best. Also, and this isn’t really fair because it has nothing to do with the story itself, but my gosh whoever translated this book needs to pull up their socks. Unless it’s just the fact that Mr Heinrich really wanted stilted dialogue and I’m just not with it. Then I apologise. And the word “grinned” often used where I have the feeling Mr Heinrich probably meant “grimanced”. Or at least I hope so. It makes an alarming difference when men are grinning when they are being insulted and/or seeing their comrades being killed next to them. And while I’m having a bit of a rant... when another person starts talking in a conversation you start a new paragraph. For the love of all things literary! There were huge chunks of this book where I didn’t have the foggiest as to who was saying what because all of the dialogue was shoved into one paragraph and they were all grinning and gah.

Moving on to my next review for TBJL.The beginning of this book was infinitely better than the second half. As Steiner and his men journey through the depths of the Russian forests the setting is so impeccably realised that you can almost hear every single pine cone being trodden on. I really loved the conversations and banter between the men. It felt silly, yet frighteningly honest. I’m still laughing about Funder and his cologne. And even though I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, I loved them as a whole. Their relationships, petty arguments and their intelligent, almost philosophical, conversations about their life all felt extremely authentic. Also, I can completely see how Mr Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds was influenced by this story (or the film at least) because Stranksy and Landa are definitely cut from the same evil-man cloth.I have to admit that my notes (and my attention span) dwindled at around page 300 and I ended up skimming the last 100 pages or so.Until, that is, the end chapter which blew my mind, broke my heart, and other metaphors that haven’t even been invented yet. Wow, just wow. Extremely haunting.

So, my rating for TBJD would have been a 2 and my rating for TBJL would have been a 4. I’m settling on 3.

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Low Points.I think I’ll appreciate this book all the more when I look back on it after reading the others… which may or may not be zooming down the motorway to my house as I type.This isn’t a gripe directed solely at Mr Westerfeld… more like everyone who has ever written a story where a girl dresses up as a boy and no one notices.Yes, that’s right. It’s also directed at YOU director of Shakespeare in Love and that film where Channing Tatum takes his top off a lot and there’s football… sorry, soccer, involved! She’s the Man. Basically this rant is aimed at Shakespeare. *shakes first*Sure, I could get over it if the girl in question was like… a baby. People would notice a sixteen year old girl (who looks extremely pretty in the illustrations, I need to add!) was gallivanting around a whale!Even if her diddies are on the small side. The whole idea of people changing one thing about themselves and all of the sudden are unrecognisable is a serious pet peeve of mine (I go off on one provide an extremely sound and mature argument in my Shadows on the Moon review.)But you know what?! I don’t care because Deryn is brilliant and if anyone could fool a ship full of silly boys she could!

Hero.Oh Alek, I think you’re going to end up getting overshadowed in this review which is completely unfair because you are brilliant too.But… well… Derynissocool……*whines*Sorry, Alek. I’m back with you, promise. You have all this ridiculous stuff happening around you and you still have the time to be a Grade A sweetheart? I applaud you because if I was an Austro-Hungarian prince I would be whinging like nobody’s business.I loved how he was innocent and naïve and a bit of wimp but he was determined to learn and break-free of people’s perceptions of him and his ancestors and all that shebang.I’m really excited to see where Alek’s learning curve takes him. Also, the banter between him and Deryn was hilarious.

“Listen, I’m not really supposed to be this far from home. I just happened to be out hiking when I saw your ship come down.”“Out hiking?” Deryn said. “In all this barking snow? At night?”“Yes. I often hike on the glacier at night.”“With medicine?”

And I can’t wait to see what happens when what I think will happen happens!

Hero.Heroine. Hero?Jo’s Best Friend.YES YES YES.I’ve only read one book but already Deryn is one of my favourite female heroines.She can fashion a zipwire while dangling under a squid-thing! I’m going to start adding that to my necessary friend requirements. And this is the point where I would get slightly nervous because I always fall in love with fantastic heroines in the first book of a series and then get my heart dashed as it goes on (Looking at you, Katniss!)… but I have no doubt that Deryn and I are for keeps.*fingers crossed*And OH, I caught you with your tingling feelings after a certain prince hugged you. Don’t think I didn’t see that!Just because you’re a soldier doesn’t mean you can’t twist your skirts every now and again… or um, you know… your uniformed pants.

Again, I can’t wait to see what happens when what I think will happen happens !

Illustrations.When the wonderful Catie recommended this book to me to be part of my Illustrated Book Week I was sceptical because it didn’t look like the kind of book that should be illustrated.I mean it wasn’t about magic or fairy tales or monsters.It was about alternative war and machines and.... boy stuff.But, boy am I glad it was illustrated?!I think they are particularly important because they are so detailed and perfectly capture Westfeld’s fantastical world. They almost looked like they had been produced with the smog and grime and grease from one of the Clanker's machines. What I loved was that even though they were highly detailed and intricate, they also managed to maintain their cartoon-ness (Is there a word for that?). I loved the pictures with the characters on them the most because Mr Thompson got their facial expressions perfectly.Also, the fact that Deryn is taller than Alek was brilliant!

Theme Tune.I couldn’t find any song that really went with giant whale airships and clanking.So I’m* going to choose a song for my girl, Deryn.

Just a Girl by No Doubt.*Well, I say I’m- fellow music lover Catie chose this one because I was too busy buying the next two books. Sadness Scale.3/10. Almost zilch but I think Alek’s story (if you know your…um, alternate history you’ll know what I mean) was really sad.Poor little pup.And also, while I’m thinking about it, Deryn’s story is sad as well. But she doesn’t tend to dwell…I hope we’ll get to find out more about these and their feelings as the series goes on.

Recommended For.People who are looking for a fast-paced, high-action book with great characters and fantastic potential for the rest of the books. People who live in places where they can’t get mobile reception but have an abundance of lizards who seem to listen to your conversations! People who think that the smell of fish and cow farts always lead to adventure. People who would look great in a bowler hat. People who actually use the words “boffin” and “ninny” in everyday conversations (I actually do, you know, when I’m not swearing like a lorry driver.) People who always take medicine when they go on their glacial hikes. Boys who couldn’t recognise a girl if she cut her hair short and wore pants. People who are suspicious of eggs. People who can’t wait to see what happens when what they think will happen happens.

You can read this review and other exciting things on my blog here....more